How We Live Church.

Through a combination of Emmanuel-hosted and community-supported ministries and endeavors, Emmanuel Episcopal Church is demonstrating what it is to follow Christ and be the Church that can change the world.

Emmanuel has a General Outreach Committee, which meets on a regular basis to determine where our donations are most needed. To make a donation to General Outreach, just put a note in the memo field of your check, or click on the “General Outreach Fund” button on the Emmanuel e-giving website.

At Emmanuel, General Outreach is funded only by your donations. No money comes from the Church operating budget. Many of the programs that you hear about at Emmanuel are funded through General Outreach. Below are some of the programs helped by your donations.

Million Meals

This Emmanuel-based outreach program was started in the 1980s by the late Emmanuel parishioner and former Senior Warden, Lew Lardie, a retired Proctor and Gamble executive. He had a dream of feeding over one million people. As of now, we have provided over 9.5 million meals. We collect funds from our parishioners with special small containers where we save our coins. We keep these containers near where we sit down to eat our meals so we can remember to put a few coins in them every day to share our blessings with those who are hungry. Then a few times a year, we have a Million Meals Ingathering where parishioners bring in their containers and the collected coins are added to the Million Meals fund.

L’Arche Wavecrest

The dream of Emmanuel parishioner, Karen Carr, L’Arche Wavecrest is a program for developmentally disabled adults. They live in a home with others from the Christian community and each recognizes the unique gifts that the other brings to the L’Arche community. Emmanuel continues to support the L’Arche Wavecrest community in the city of Orange.

L’Arche is a world-wide social movement, bringing individuals with disabilities into the hearts of their societies, making their voices heard, providing a true home and the opportunity to develop their unique gifts to the fullest. L’Arche Wavecrest is a part of L’Arche USA which, in turn, is a part of L’Arche International. Today, there are 159 communities of L’Arche in 38 countries. They are united by a common vision and a shared mission expressed in the official Charter of L’Arche.

Pathways of Hope

Founded as Fullerton Interfaith Emergency Service (FIES) in 1975 to minister to housing and food-insecure people in Fullerton, Pathways of Hope continues to expand their services and grow their supporting networks. They now operate three shelters, offer rapid re-housing services, permanent supportive housing, homeless prevention services, and housing services for chronically homeless individuals and medically fragile individuals.

They accept donations, supply donated food, and work with volunteers for "The Hub," a food pantry operating in the city of Fullerton as well as for food pantries at Fullerton Community College and Cypress College. The Emmanuel Community Garden supplies The Hub with fresh fruit and vegetables grown by our parishioners. Emmanuel also works with Pathways of Hope in donating backpacks filled with school supplies for Fullerton K-12 students. Emmanuel has also done sock, blanket, and hygiene kit drives (see photo above), as well as donations of non-perishable food all year, but especially during the holidays.

Monetary donations to Pathways of Hope can be made through Emmanuel. Please make checks out to Emmanuel and write "Pathways of Hope" in the memo line.

Laundry Love

The Laundry Love initiative provides regular opportunities to help people who are struggling financially by assisting them with doing their laundry. For those living below the poverty line, washing clothes presents both a logistical problem and a financial hardship.

Laundry Love partners with local laundromats in cleaning the clothes of those living in shelters, motels, cars, garages, and on the streets.

Emmanuel works with Blessed Sacrament in Placentia in this wonderful community ministry.

Monetary donations are welcome. Please make checks out to Emmanuel and in the memo, note “Laundry Love”.